THE EFFECT OF USING AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS WITH SUBTITLES ON SECOND LANGUAGE VOCABULARY LEARNING

Abstract

Vocabulary plays a dominant role in second language learning, directly affecting the learner's overall language competence. Acquiring new vocabulary is a significant component of successful language learning because learners cannot use the target language effectively without enough words and meanings. Furthermore, if vocabulary is not learned and applied in ways that will expose students to language input in authentic target language environments, it will likely be forgotten. In this sense, learners in the modern era find it easier to acquire vocabulary independently due to the growing availability of various multimedia and technological resources. Specifically, watching movies with subtitles can be a beneficial method for introducing pupils to real-world communication in a language. The main objective of this study is to provide a review of current knowledge relevant to second language vocabulary acquisition and to reveal the effect of audio-video materials with subtitles on second language vocabulary acquisition. In order to achieve this objective, 75 previous research papers that empirically investigated the effectiveness of captioning for vocabulary learning were analyzed as a secondary sources and all these different empirical studies were collected using different methods including online search engines, data bases and published research journals. The findings indicated that many prior researchers have confirmed that watching movies with subtitles positively impacts on learners' vocabulary development. The result of this study can be implemented in designing vocabulary teaching techniques in ELT classrooms.